“Oh, NO! What did you DO?!!!”
The screech is immediately followed by an indignant wail, and I know right away that the baby has once again gotten into her big sister’s napkin collection.
Sure enough, my daughter comes bounding downstairs ten seconds later, her face like a thundercloud. “Ma, look what she did!! She just ripped up my two best napkins!! Why can’t someone keep her AWAY FROM MY STUFF?!”
What can I tell my daughter? “If you would keep your stuff high on the shelf, the baby wouldn’t be able to get to it…” That might be the absolute truth, but it’s certainly not going to make her feel any better right now.
You know what would be really helpful? If she would just think to herself, Give a few years, and our baby will b’ezras Hashem grow up. She’ll stop ripping up my napkins and ruining my things. (And anyway, in another few years I’ll also be older and hopefully more mature, and maybe I won’t care so much about ripped up napkins anymore!)
Okay, so the parenthesis part would really be pushing it, but do you realize how many tears and tantrums could be spared if our kids only realized that babies don’t mean to be bothersome; they’re just discovering the world around them, doing what all babies do?
If you’re nodding along with me up until now, you would absolutely love the book Fraidy Can Still Smile, a children’s picture book all about learning to deal with younger siblings. In this book, Fraidy is feeling frustrated when her baby brother Yossi messes up her toys and rips up her coloring sheets. Then Fraidy comes across some photos of herself as a baby…and suddenly the whole picture changes!
Fraidy Can Still Smile is the adorable story of a little girl who learns how to be flexible and tolerant of younger siblings who sometimes act pesky. Bursting with vibrant illustrations and important lessons, this book is sure to bring a smile to every child’s face. (P.S. And to their parents!)
Click here to purchase online.
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